In a televised speech of extraordinary gravity, President John F.
Kennedy announced on October 22, 1962 that U.S. spy planes
have discovered Soviet missile bases in Cuba.

These missile sites—under construction but nearing completion —housed medium-range missiles capable of striking a number
of major cities in the United States, including Washington, D.C.

Kennedy announced that he was ordering a naval “quarantine”
of Cuba to prevent Soviet ships from transporting any more
offensive weapons to the island and explained that the United
States would not tolerate the existence of the missile sites
currently in place.

    
    
   
Annette Joanne Funicello (October 22, 1942 – April 8, 2013)

During the mid-1960s, she established herself as a film
actress, popularizing the successful "Beach Party"
genre alongside co-star Frankie Avalon.

In 1992, Annette Funicello announced that she had been
diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She succumbed to
the disease on April 8, 2013.

                                      
MIKE GRACIA

On October 20, 1962 “Monster Mash” hit No. 1 on the Billboard
Hot 100 chart, just in time for Halloween
       
The self-described “graveyard smash” become a literal smash
hit, spending the last two weeks of October at the top of the
charts and remaining a beloved Halloween classic decades
later.      

“Monster Mash” hit the Billboard charts three times, starting
with its original debut in 1962. It re-charted in August 1970,
and then again in May 1973.       

       
Then, Pickett released two more songs that were sequels of
sorts: “Monster’s Holiday,” which hit No. 30 in December
1962, and “Graduation Day,” which hit No. 80 in June 1963.

Robert George Pickett (February 11, 1938 – April 25, 2007)

On this day in 1944, after advancing island by island across the
Pacific Ocean, U.S. General Douglas MacArthur wades ashore
onto the Philippine island of Leyte, fulfilling his promise to
return to the area he was forced to flee in 1942.

A statue in the Philippines commemorating the promised
return of American commander Douglas MacArthur.

Douglas MacArthur (1880 – 1964)